Temperley

HAVING made her debut in February last year, Alice Temperley's journey up to the top ranks of the fashion set has made impressive watching. The announcement last week that she was up against Giles Deacon and Chloe creative director Phoebe Philo for the BFC New Designer of the Year award put her show yesterday firmly in the limelight and it's clearly a place she likes to be. With a stunningly pretty Laura Bailey in the front row - perfectly pregnant in an empire line Liberty print - alongside Salman Rushdie and Padma Lakshmi, the Notting Hill-based designer unveiled a collection that was unmistakably Temperley with each piece uniquely desirable in its own right. Lilac, peach, mint green, cream and coral chiffon dresses encrusted with vintage sparkles had V-necks over wide, empire line waistbands and short, angel wing sleeves that delicately tied together at the back. There was a taste of Seventies hippy chick in colourful crochet dresses while glittering cobweb overlays, some like layered golden peacock feathers, gave vintage-style glamour to full-skirted cocktail dresses. For day there were shorts that came rolled up high on the thigh or tailored to the knee, smart black Capri pants with white embroidery down the seam and gorgeous collarless military jackets with tiny buttons running up the front and skinny puffed sleeves. And the verdict? "It was beautiful," said <I>What Not To Wear</I>'s Trinny Woodall. "I'd wear it all." Temperley herself, who looked stunning at her after party in plunging peach jewelled chiffon, was feeling modest, however. "There's no way I'll win the New Designer award," she said. "The other nominees carry far too much weighting. But I'm thrilled to have been nominated." (September 20 2004, PM)